Rune Giant

This towering muscular giant’s skin is nearly black in color, as if made from pitted iron and then etched with countless complex runes. As the creature moves, the runes flash and ripple, glowing from the strange internal fires that burn within it. The giant wears ornate armor with a grimacing full helm, and wields an immense sword that looks big enough to bisect a house.

Special Abilities

Command Giant (Su) Rune giants were created with a mystical link to all giant kind. When a rune giant uses a skill against creatures of the giant type, it gains a +10 bonus on the check. When a rune giant uses any sort of charm or compulsion effect against a giant, it gains a +4 bonus to its save DC — this bonus is included in its spell-like abilities above.

Improved Rock Throwing (Ex) With their enhanced size and Strength, rune giants are more adept at rock throwing then even their kin. Rune giants receive a +4 racial bonus on attack rolls when throwing rocks. A rune giant can hurl rocks weighing 100 to 150 pounds each (Huge objects) up to five range increments. The range increment is 240 feet for a rune giant’s thrown rocks. It uses both hands when throwing a rock.

Rock Catching (Ex) A rune giant gains a +4 bonus on its Reflex save when attempting to catch a thrown rock.

Runes (Su) The runes scribed across a rune giant’s body are the source of its magic power. When it uses its spark shower or spell-like abilities, the runes flash and glow brightly. Any creature within 10 feet of a rune giant at this time must make a DC 27 Fortitude save or be blinded for one round — success indicates the creature is merely dazzled for 1 round. A rune giant can make a Fortitude save to resist the effects of an erase spell cast against his runes, but if he fails that save, he loses access to his spell-like abilities and his spark shower ability for 24 hours until his runes “grow back.”

Spark Shower (Su) The runes covering a rune giant’s flesh are infused with magical power. Once every 1d4+1 rounds as a free action, a rune giant can cause a 30-foot cone of sparks to discharge from its runes. Those within the area of this cone take 12d6 points of damage (half fire and half electricity), with a DC 27 Reflex save halving the damage done. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Description

Created long ago by the runelords of Thassilon, rune giants were originally of fire giant stock, harvested from among the most loyal of the Thassilonian troops. Given special affinity for the rune magic of the runelords and put through grueling alchemical processes and fleshwarping rituals, rune giants became the perfect generals and leaders of other giant troops, exercising a unique mental domination among their own kin. Their immunity to mental control combined with their unwavering loyalty to their runelord creators made them an invaluable component of the armies of giants these ancient wizards commanded. Other giants of the time viewed the rune giants as traitors and despots, and although their existence has dwindled to the status of legend today, most tribes think of them in the same way humans regard demon lords and archdevils — as horrors best not spoken of.

Rune giants stand 40 feet tall and weigh 25,000 pounds. They can live to be 1,200 years old. Their skin is warm to the touch from the fires that burn within them, and they emit a faint grinding and rumbling when they move. They wear elaborate armor and helms designed to provide protection but still leave their rune-inscribed bodies visible as much as possible. They use weapons of wicked design intended to inspire fear in their opponents, with many rings and spikes providing added flourish. They keep throwing rocks handy in sacks made of mail that hang from their belts.